Macon beacon. [volume] (Macon, Miss.) 1859-1995, 1887-08-20
AWFUL ACCIDENT.
Exc1rsion Train Goes Through a.
Culvert.
Seventy Persons Killed and Three IIundrod
Injured, u Score of them rcrhaps
Fatally The Wounded
and Dead Robbed
LATEST PARTICULARS.


PEORIA, ILL.,, Aug l2-For some davs
past the Toledo, Peoria Il Western railroad
had advertised an excursion TO Niagara
Falls at reduced rates. The great heat
mere and the industry with which the ey-
curslon was advertised brought it to the
notice of everybody, and a large number of
citizens from this and surrounding towns
avaled themselves of it.
When the train pulled out Wednesday
night there were twelve coaches filed.
superintendent L. N. Armstrong accom-.
panied the party, in his private coach, and
this was coupled on next TO the baggage
car. Accompanying HIM were Mrs. Ii. d.
Gould and daughter. Nellie; Mrs. Parker
and several other wives and relatives Of
the officials of the road. A large crowd
assembled to see them Off, and as the train
pulled out of the station it was noticed
that it was doublchoadcr, that IS, that
there was an engine behind assisting the
one in front by pushing.
Nothing more was heard from the train
until Thursday morning at three o'clock,
when Il dispatch was received that it had
gone through bridge at ChatswOrth and
that one hundred people were killed and as
many more badly injured. The Union depot
was thronged at an early hour with friends
and relatives of those who were on the
train. The excitement was intense. 1t was
reported that viii o. Clark, of the Peoria
House, and his wife were among the killed,
and that Mrs. II. u. Gould and daughter
had been taken out of the wreck dead; that
Armstrong was instantly killed, and that
the wreck had taken fire and burned up
dozens of people who were otherwise in
jured.
The bridge through which the cars fell
was small one. 1t had been partially
burned, which had weakened it. Ten
coaches had either gone through to the
bed of the stream, or were piled up in
promiscuous heap cross-Wise and length
wise, on tho track
ltwas undoubtedly the largest excursion
ever pulled out Of this city, two engines
were required to pull it; but only one of
these was attached at the depot the other
| being sent on ahead and taken on after the
| train had cleared the Illinois river bridge,
switch engine being placed at the rear of
| the train to assist it in starting at the de-
| pot Before the train started, +. B. Me
! Clintock, one Of the engineers, cXpostu-
| lated with General Superintendent Arm.
| strong about the way the train was made
up, insisting that it ought TO be taken out
| in two sections, hut his words were of no
| avail Poor fellow, he is dead now.
4;30 p, M.-The train bearing the survi-
vors of the terrible accident has just come
| in. They confirm the news of the awful
disaster, The survivors say that the scenes
at the wreck were frightlul. 1t tool; fire,
| and as they had no Waterthey were obliged
| TO oXtinguish the flames with dust taken
| from the prairie While they were at work
| the tornado struck them, and the shrleling
of the wind added to the teTrors of the
scene.
H. W. White, printer, and who lives in
| this city, was among the survivors, and has
| given your correspondent a full account OF
| the holocaust He says: Il was in the
second sleeper, and we were going along
about midnight, when there came a pecu-
| liar iostling. thought that we had been
| dcrailcd. Our porter said: We are all
| right when some one said, There is fire
ahead ! got up and went 10 the front.
| The head engine had rushed on. The sec
| had tclcscopcd, and the engineer was a
shapclcss mass, The first car was turned
| to right angles with the track, and the re-
naming eleven cars telescopod and piled
| up in one heap Several of us climbed
upon the cars with axes and lanterns and
| went to work. The first man that was
| found was Billy Stevens, the confectionery
| He was dead, We pulled him out after
some effort, and then pulled his two daugh-
| tcrs, Emma and Ida, out. They were also
| dead. Everyone was groaning and crying;
| their feet seemed to be jammcd. Most OF
| them had their legs broken. After an hour
| and half we cleared the car. They were
| Offering fifty dollars each for relief. Prob
| ably there was a dozen bodies taken out
| Mrs. Deal was one of these. | then went
| down on the ground and assisted in taking
the dead down. They put plank up and
| they helped them out sliding them down
| the plank. If they were dead, they put
| them in one pile. If alive, they put them
| in another. Every live person seemed to
| want to see their families at once. There
| were in Mrs. James Deals party five peo'
| ple-hersclf, Mrs William Allen, Miss Ada
| Webster, Mrs. William Ball and Jennie
| O'Shoughnessey. Every one of them was
| killed but the last, and were horribly dis
| figured. IL was late in the after
| noon before they were recognized
| Ono of the horrible incidents was
n man well dressed, who was so badly in
| jured that his bowels were protruding. He
called necessarily for water and as he
| could not be attended TO, he finally pulled
a hot Il sn1F brD trh
| the head, One little boy, the son OF the
| Methodist minister at Abingdon, Frank
| Snadccllcr. about twelve years old was
| found on the bosom of his dead mother.
| His left leg hung by the skin. His right
arm was broken and one eye put out He
never uttered groan. They pulled him
out and tried to give him drink of brandy.
He refused TO take it and said give me
water l found head hanging from the
truck. 1t was apparently mans and had
been caught by the hair, | found several
headless bodies. Those who recognized the
dead Immediately ticketed them. Van
SAINT and Coroner Bennett were on board
and did noble work. George W. Scott, the
coal man, recognized i. Godel, the butcher
Mrs Zimmerman, Mrs. Nalcdjo and Capt
ain Dahlkc, harbOr master, and Fred Nelh-
nette the county treasurer, are among inc
dead. One Of the most awful sights was
that some of those released robbed the dead
of their watches and valuables, and 1t was
| n theory among some that the bridge was
set on fire in order to thus perpetrate rod
berries. William NJ. Reagon, one OF thc
force of the Peoria watch company, is
among the dead. Alex Richardson, the
engraver, tclegraphod that his wlie ana
mother-in-aw are still IN the runs
large number Of those who have been
pulled out of the wreck are still unldenti'
fed. The people in the vicinity dld VIVA,
they could. The fire department turned
out and every one rendered all the assist
ance possible. They opened the schoo
house in Chatsworth, summoned the physi
clans and did everything in their power
The town resembles hospital
One of the survivors relates that as soor
MS the first engine cleared the bridge inc
brush beneath 1t famed up as II oil hao
been ,rnited. He was fast in the wreeR
md called for assistance, He was aided by
some one outside, and rs soon as ho was
safely out of the wreck his rcscuer graspeu
his watch and tore it from him. Anotnei
man was robbed of his chain, the vahoa
failing TO get his watch; also ,he nngers
of several of the dead were cut OH upon
which were valuable rings. The ropolht
of the dead and injured gave rise to th'
terrible report that the bridge had peei
fred and the train purposely wrecked io'
Tho sale of plunder, but no confidence